The Journey Home
by R.B. Fern
Summary: Alone. That's all Monkey D. Luffy has ever been. And he feels he deserves nothing more. Then, by chance meetings and lending a helping hand, he may just find a family who can save him from the darkness of his past.
1. Prologue

Hello everyone! This is my first fanfiction and I hope all of you readers like. Just a warning that there is some OOC. It goes with the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece

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Prologue

"Stalker," a blonde man clad in blue and a top hat said to the raven haired teen next to him.

"Just because I'm watching him doesn't mean I'm a stalker," the teen replied. The duo was sitting on a bench facing a large building that almost rivaled the White House. This house happened to belong to one of the world's most successful business man, Edward Newgate.

"Yeah, because coming to the same place at the same time everyday watching the same person isn't called stalking at all," the man sarcastically replied. "Just give it up Lu, you never could beat me at an argument."

The teen seemed as if he didn't hear him as his eyes settled on a man coming out of the big building. The man was laughing along with two other men, a blonde that looked like he had a pineapple on his head and another man who had his hair sticking up.

"You know, you could just go talk to him instead of sitting here like an idiot," the man said, the boy sighed. Sabo always tried to convince him to go talk to Ace, and he wanted to more than anything. But he couldn't, too many things had happened to talk to his brother now. Ace would never forgive him if he knew the truth. "Well if you're just going to sit here, I'm going to go.

"Where? It's not like you have much else to do."

Anywhere besides here." With that, Sabo walked away, leaving Luffy on his own.

_Guess it's time to go, I'm starting to get hungry anyway, he thought. Time to go "home."_

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_That night…._

Luffy lay on a sleeping bag looking at the stars from his "home." Home was a loose way to put where he lived. It was a cave outside the city that consisted of some meat he gained from hunting, his sleeping bag, and a few pairs of clothes. To Luffy, this was all he needed to survive. It didn't matter that he owned a mansion not far from the cave which had comfy beds and actual heat. He had vowed to _never_ return to that house no matter how desperate he was. Memories were there, memories he wanted nothing more than to forget.

One may see this as a horrible predicament for a seventeen year old, but Luffy felt his was all he deserved. Did he ever get lonely? Of course he did. As a matter of fact, Luffy dreamed about living in a house surrounded by people that cared about him. But to him, that is all it was. An unreachable dream he would never receive. He had had it once, until it was harshly taken away from him. Of course he could always go back to Ace and beg him to forgive him, but his shame along with his pride wouldn't allow it.

_I'm fine just the way I am. _Or so he tried to convince himself as he felt one tear fall down.

_Maybe one day…._

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_At the same time in the city..._

A man lay on his large, comfy bed looking at a photo of three kids. His hand reached out to touch it. His hands gently ran over the small raven haired boy that was bright as the sun. The man sighed and withdrew his hand, which tightened into a fist. He looked out the window next to his bed.

_Where are you, Lu? _

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So, tell me what you all think!


	2. The Alley Meeting

** Thank you for everyone that reviewed. I was really happy to read them. This chapter is a little longer than the last. Happy Reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece**

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"You need to get a life!" Sabo proclaimed as he and Luffy walked down the street. The two were returning from yet another session of "stalking" Ace.

"That's funny coming from _you_," Luffy said. "Why don't you actually do something besides bother me?"

"Where would be the fun in that? I'm your brother; it's my job to annoy you. And if my memory serves correctly, you use to be the annoying one. What happened?"

Luffy glared at his older brother. His eyes were shadowed by his ever famous trademark, his straw hat. "You know exactly what happened," he said in a dark, strained voice.

Sabo looked at his younger brother beside him and sighed. When had things gone all wrong? They had been happy until that _man_ came along and ruined it. Luffy had done nothing to deserve any of what happened to him. Luffy use to be the happiest kid he knew despite all that had happened to him. He went everywhere with a smile on his face, a sight that was seldom these days. A once bright heart was now dark with guilt and safe hatred.

Contrary to his brothers, Sabo wasn't a complete idiot. He knew there was only one thing that could stop Luffy from falling even deeper into the pit of darkness. He knew that when you fall into the pit, only a helping hand can stop you from falling and pull you into the light.

Luffy walked silently beside Sabo and looked past him to see an alley next to a grocery store. He knew that alley anywhere. He silently wondered why he had come this route when he always avoided it. His eyes blazed when he realized Sabo had led him there. After a few minutes of thinking of ways to kill the top hat wearer, he calmed down. It's not like he could really be mad at him, seeing as he was the only one Luffy talked to.

Luffy stopped walking and stared at the alley where his life had changed. He let a small smile grace his face as he thought back to that day. The day two important people had shown him the light for the very first time.

_Two small figures were walking through that same alley, by the grocery store, laughing. They were unaware of a pair of dark brown eyes watching them. The small boy watching them from behind a garbage dumpster was confused. These two boys were covered in blood and mud, yet they seemed so happy. The boy instantly envied them. What was it like to laugh, not to please anyone, but just do it because you can? To share it with someone made it seem even more special._

_ The small boy took a step forward to get a better look at the figure in the dim alley and accidently kicked a can. The noise echoed throughout the alley. His eyes widened as the laughter stopped and the two figures whirled around to face the intruder, poles raised, ready to attack._

_ "Who are you?!" the raven haired boy barked, eyes narrowed at the darkness covering where the sound had come from. His body was tense, ready to attack. "Show yourself!"_

_ The small boy shuddered at the other's loud voice. It was just like that one man's voice. The one that had ripped everything he'd know about, which wasn't much, away. His home life may had not have been the best, but at least he had known what to expect and had a roof over his head. Now he struggled to stay alive and he was really scared that the man was coming after him. _

_ Scared of what would happen if he didn't, the boy stepped forward so that a small portion of light form the street fell onto him. He kept his head down, not wanting to see the looks of hatred that he had no doubt he was receiving. _

_ The small blonde boy took in the boy in front of him. He let himself relax as he realized it was just a boy smaller than him. He was expecting some gang members back for revenge that he and Ace had beat up earlier. His eyes took in the tattered clothes that were hanging off the boy's frame. The boy looked a few years younger than him and Ace. His body was covered in dirt and what looked like dried blood. A scar was under his eye that looked fairly new. It was a week old at most. Overall, the boy looked half-starved and ready to drop dead any moment._

_Beside him, Ace had not relaxed. He had learned early on to never let your guard down no matter what. Although, he was pretty sure that he could take out the kid with one hit._

"_Hey kid, what are you doing here? Where are your parents?" Sabo asked softly to the kids although he was confident he knew the answer. _

"_I don't have any; I'm all alone," came the quiet reply. You could hear the sadness enlaced in his voice. He was obviously distressed by the inevitable fact._

_Surprisingly, Sabo found him feeling sympathetic for the boy. He usually hated weak kids like this one, but there was something different about this boy. The slight relaxation from Ace's body showed him that Ace felt the same. _

"_What's your name?" Ace asked in a soft voice he didn't even know he had. _

"_Lu-Luffy," the boy stuttered out, still refusing to look up._

"_Well Luffy, I'm Ace and this is Sabo. You don't have to worry about being alone anymore. We'll protect you." Ace could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth but they instantly felt right._

_Shocked, Luffy looked up at the two people in front of him, gently smiling down to him. He couldn't help a smile from coming onto his face He suddenly felt a warm feeling inside him he had never felt before. He would come to know this as the feeling of belonging._

The memory came rushing into present Luffy's head before he could stop it. He gritted his teeth, shaking his head as if it would clear away the memory. Dammit! He thought he had forgotten everything. Why did Sabo lead him here?

Before Luffy could question him about it, the sound of struggling reached his ears from the alley. Without thinking, he rushed towards the alley.

Little did he know, another life changing moment for him was about to occur in that very same alley.

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** What's in the alley? You'll have to read the next chapter to find out! **

** Don't forget to review!****I want to hear what you all think!**

** Special thanks to:**

** -jam klaoo**

** -FlightWulf**

**-The Analei**

**Thank you guys for reviewing! Until next time!**


	3. The Debt

**Another update! Hope you enjoy it!**

** Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece**

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Luffy arrived in the alley with no difficulty. He was met with the sight of many gang members, who was a common sight, holding a man and beating him up. It disgusted him that they would beat up a defenseless man, but it didn't mean he was going to help him. Luffy was not one to interfere in another's fight (or if that's even what you could call it). So, Luffy just merely watch, and observed the victim.

The victim was covered in blood and didn't fight his attackers at all. Luffy didn't understand; why was he not fighting back? From the look of the man's toned body, he could have easily beaten the men. So, why?

Just as Luffy went to turn around and leave, his eyes caught the sight of one of the men holding something small in his arms. Upon further inspection, he realized it was a little girl, crying at the beaten man. The gang member holding her had a hand over his hostage's mouth, and was watching the scene with glee. At the sight of the little girl, his anger flared. The girl was so young, yet she was already being forced to watch the world's cruelty. Hadn't the world corrupted enough young minds? He only hoped the girl would not be forced to see all of the horrors of life like he had.

Seeing the young girl's position panged Luffy, but that was not what broke him. Oh no, it was the sight of her as she turned her head and her eyes found his. The girl's big black pleading eyes locked his feet into place. He couldn't have moved even if he wanted to. It occurred to him that this was why the man wasn't fighting back. _His sister maybe? _he thought

How many times had he wished for someone to help? He had been pleading, but had anyone stopped to help him? No, no one had ever helped, no one but his brothers. A person in need for help was a regular occurrence around the city, but help was seldom.

Quietly, slipping into the alley's shadows, he forced himself to exit the alley. He fought hard to ignore the eyes watching him with despair.

"What the hell are you doing?!" an angry brother came up to him. Luffy would have laughed at the look on Sabo's face if he wasn't so distracted. It was the exact face Sabo would give Ace and him (usually him) when they did something stupid. "You better not think of doing what I think you're thinking? It's too dangerous!

_What? That made no sense at all! Then again, I never could understand Sabo. _Luffy quickly thought as he rushed to a path he knew by heart. _Why is he even asking, he knows I'll do it anyway. _

Luffy ran until he found a back entrance to the alley. Quietly and quickly, Luffy went up behind the man holding the girl hostage. It was a good thing they had decided to hold the hostage behind the beating. Well, good for him, not so good for them.

He quietly snuck up behind the man and put his arm around the man's neck in a sleeper hold. The man started wheezing until Luffy placed his hand over his mouth. After five seconds, the man fell unconscious and Luffy caught the girl. He gestured for her to be quiet and she nodded, tears falling from her eyes in relief. She tugged on his shirt and pointed to a sword on the ground. Then, she pointed to the man being attacked. He understood and grabbed the sword and moved to a gap so that he could see the beaten man clearly.

The man looked up at the feeling of someone watching him with no hostility. His eyes met Luffy's, who made sure that he could see the girl was safe. The man's widen and did the tiniest nod to show he got the message. Or as best as he could seeing as he was being attacked. Luffy held up the sword and again, the man got the message. Luffy counted down from three, and then moved.

With almost impossible precision, he threw the sword over the attackers and to the man. He turned, careful with the girl in his arms, and left the alley through the back. He could hear the sound of yelling and slicing and gave a small grin. It had to be the only time a plan actually worked. And the man wasn't wasting a second getting revenge.

When he was about a block away from the alley, he finally put the child down.

"You okay?" he asked in a quiet voice. The girl nodded, her sobs slowing down so that she started to hiccup. "Well, you should go find you parents, they're probably worried." Again the girl nodded and he started to walk away.

"Wait!" the girl shouted as she ran to catch up with Luffy. He waited for her and kneeled down to her level. Suddenly, she hugged him, "Thank you! I'll never forget you; you're a great man." Luffy, stunned from the hug, didn't process what she said until she had already walked away.

"Aww! How sweet! Since when did you like kids?" Luffy groaned as a voice came from behind him. He should have known Sabo would follow.

"Shut up," Luffy said as he passed Sabo returning home. What he didn't see was his brother smiling proudly at his back.

_Maybe there's hope for you yet, Luffy._

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_ In the alley…_

The man was just finishing slicing the low lives that call themselves a gang. He left the alley with blood all over his clothes, but nobody seemed to notice nor cared. That's just how people are these days. Cared about nothing, but themselves. Maybe that's why he couldn't get the kid he saw earlier off his mind.

Somehow, the kid had understood about the girl and decided to help. People had been hassling the girl and he had intervened. Unlike others, he wasn't one to watch an innocent kid get hurt. He had been set on kicking their asses until they had held a gun to the girl's head. He agreed to surrender if they didn't harm her and that's how he ended up with a couple bruises and cracked ribs.

Who knows? They could have just killed him and the girl if the boy hadn't come along. Why had he decided to help? He didn't look like the pity type. One thing he knew for sure, was that he needed to see this kid again.

He owed this kid a debt, and he, Roronora Zoro, didn't leave his debts unpaid.

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**Zoro has entered! How will this change Luffy? Or will it affect him at all? You want to find out, you know what to do.**

** Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate them all. I honestly didn't expect to receive this many good reviews. Until next time!**


	4. Having Some Fun

**Warnings: Characters may be OOC**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

** Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece**

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_You're a great man_! the little girl's words echoed in Luffy's head. A great man? Yeah, right! He was probably one of the worst out there! But he couldn't deny the warm feeling he felt when she told him that.

For so long he had been called monster, freak, demon from hell, street rat, and so many more names. A great man was not one of them.

Luffy sighed. It had been about a week since the alley incident. Normally, he would have moved on from something like this, yet he couldn't forget the girl's words.

It was early morning and he was heading for the city. He thought maybe today he would do something else besides watch Ace. He would just check up on him for a minute then he'd leave. He was getting low on food and needed hunt in the forest.

Luffy had been in the city about five minutes when he noticed bright yellow flyers. He went up to one and read it.

**COME TO BUGGY'S CIRCUS!**

**THE FLASHIEST CIRCUS IN TOWN!**

Luffy almost laughed. Who called a circus the flashiest? That was ridiculous and he was Luffy, so he has seen and done some pretty stupid stuff over the years. But this almost beat them all. Except for that time with the whipped cream prank he and Ace pulled on Sabo. Luffy had thought he would laugh dying that day. Especially from the look on Sabo's face when he was covered in it.

"_Shhhh…. be quiet Luffy! We don't want Sabo to hear us!" Ace said to his younger brother. The duo was crouched behind a wall, waiting for the third brother to fall asleep. It had been about six months since Luffy had joined Ace and Sabo and it had been the best time of their lives. While they didn't like how he was a cry baby, he was getting better and they secretly enjoyed how the boy would follow them around everywhere. It made them feel happy and amazed how much Luffy looked up to them. _

_Anyway, the trio had been staying in an abandoned building and Ace had decided it was time to have some fun. So, he introduced the art of pranking to Luffy. He and Sabo had had fun before pranking each other to lighten the moods when things got tough, so Ace decided it was time to include Luffy. On his team of course. There was no way he was going to be pranked and outsmarted by his idiot of a younger brother. _

_So, after having to tell what a prank was to Luffy, they set out finding supplies to prank the third brother. They managed to find a feather from some bird in the park and a can about half way full with whip cream. Normally, they hated when people threw out good food, but this time they were glad to find some._

_When Sabo went to sleep, the two boys filled his hand with whipped cream. Then they used the feather to tickle his nose. Reacting on instinct, even in his sleep, Sabo reached to grab whatever was on his face only to be surprised when his face was covered squishy. He opened his mouth in shock and some of the white cream entered his mouth. Though he had only tasted it once in his lifetime, Sabo instantly recognized the sweet, yummy taste of whipped cream._

_Suddenly, he heard loud laughing and looked over to see his brothers. Ace was trying to shush Luffy, though he looked pretty close to laughing himself. Sabo glared at them as he realized this was their doing, but seeing Sabo glare at them covered in whipped cream sent both boys rolling on the floor laughing. _

_Then, Sabo spotted something and smiled evilly. It was time for revenge. He grabbed the can and calmly walked to his brothers on the ground. Ace immediately saw what he was up to and took cover. Unfortunately, Luffy didn't notice and took the full brunt of the attack as Sabo sprayed him with the remaining whipped cream. Luffy stopped laughing and wiped some off his face. Curious, he licked some of his finger. His eyes went wide at the taste._

"_This is delicious!" the youngest brother announced as he started licking more off of his hand. His reaction sent the other two boys in fits of laughter. They had known him six months, but Luffy continued to surprise them. _

_Another idea suddenly struck Sabo. "Hey Luffy, I think Ace wants a hug." Sabo said as Ace looked at him in horror as Luffy chirped okay and tackled his older brother in a hug._

"_Luffy! You traitor!" Ace yelled as he was covered from whipped cream from his little brother. His prank had backfired big time. Yet, as Sabo and Luffy laughed, he couldn't help but join in. _

_Luffy looked at his older brothers, feeling like the luckiest kid in the world. Sure, they lived on the streets and didn't have any parents to care for them, but he had the greatest big brothers a person could ask for. What more could he want?_

_To others, the prank may be simple and stupid. But to Luffy, it was one of the best moments in his life because he was with his brothers. In that moment, all Luffy wanted in the world was to stay with his brothers. Forever. _

Luffy shook the memory from his mind. He really didn't want to think about that right now. It only made him miss the good times even more. He looked at the poster again and looked the name. Buggy. Where had he heard that's name before?

"You should go to it," Sabo said from right beside him, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

Luffy almost jumped from shock. He hadn't even heard Sabo come up. At the same time he groaned. Couldn't he leave him alone for one day? All he a wanted was a day of peace. No annoying brothers. He voiced this to Sabo, who just laughed.

"Sorry, it's part of the job as a brother." Sabo stated

"To be a pain in the ass?" Luffy shot back.

"Yep! See now you're catching on! Think of it as revenge for all the times you were a pain in the ass to me." Sabo smiled, but then turned serious. "But you really should go. You need to have some fun!"

Luffy protested, "I have plenty of fun!"

"Eating and fighting doesn't count, Lu," Sabo rolled his eyes at his brother's definition of "fun."

"It's fun to me," Luffy mumbled, then sighed. He had had too many fights with his older brothers not to know how this would work. He would refuse and then they would somehow twist his words around and he would end up doing it anyway. The pains of being the youngest brother. Always losing to his older brothers. He might as well get this over with.

"Okay I'll go," Sabo smiled, but Luffy wasn't finished. "If you promise not to bother me for the rest of the day."

Sabo's smile faded. "I don't know if I can do that Lu. Honestly you scare me with how you get in trouble almost every day!"

"It's a circus! What's the worst that can happen?" Luffy shot back, not relenting. If he was going to something for his brothers that he didn't want to do, he was at least going to get something out of it.

"Well you could get eaten by a lion, or you could get shot by a cannon, or you could even-"

Luffy interrupted, "Okay, I get it, but I'll be careful. I promise to try to stay out of trouble and have fun only if you promise to leave me alone."

"I'm just worried about you, Lu. You and staying out of trouble is like asking you to become a vegetarian."

"What's wrong with being an animal doctor?"

Sabo sighed at his brother's question, yet at the same time couldn't help but feel a little relieved that the old Luffy was still in there, it was just buried deep under the new, cold one. "I said vegetarian you idiot, not veterinarian. You know, someone who doesn't eat meat."

Luffy puffed his cheeks and looked away mumbling, "I knew that." Sabo couldn't help, but laugh.

He enjoyed it when the old Luffy showed through.

"Just please be careful. Are you sure you don't want me to come?"

Luffy rolled his eyes at Sabo's question, "I'll be fine, I don't need to be protected by you anymore." With that he started walking to the address on the poster. He promised himself that he'd check up on Ace later. Maybe Sabo was right, he should just take a day to have fun and watch people do ridiculous tricks.

"What happened to the little boy that begged his older brothers to go everywhere with him?" Sabo asked, barely audible.

Luffy stopped walking and closed his eyes. He responded without looking back. "He was forced to grow up."

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**Another chapter down. I know the whipped cream trick isn't original, but honestly it is the only thing I could think of. I'm no good with pranks. And I know Ace was probably OOC here. Anyway, from here, the plot is going to pick up a bit after this.**

**Hmmmm….. Buggy's circus. Wonder who will come in there. And there's still the deal with Zoro wanting to find him (though he'd have to not get lost himself to find somebody)…..**

**Until next time readers!**


	5. The Flashy Circus

**Hey readers! I'm really sorry I haven't updated lately. I know how annoying it can be when it takes forever for an author to update. I promise I'll try to post another chapter tomorrow. Anyway, on with the story!**

** Warning: Characters OOC**

** Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece**

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Luffy was proud to say he _snuck _into the circus with no trouble at all. He felt his eyes go wide as he took in all the sights.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of orange. Luffy turned to see an orange headed girl, not much older than him, was zig-zagging through the crowd of people. Upon further inspection, he realized what she was doing and chuckled. The girl was slyly moving through the people pickpocketing them. She was subtly stealing their wallets

_She's sneaky I'll give her that, _Luffy thought, watching the girl on her crime spree in amusement. She was smart, too. A circus was the perfect place to _obtain_ some cash and the crowd was the perfect cover. Out of curiosity, he decided to follow the girl. He tailed the girl to the tent belonging to the circus performers. The girl snuck into the tent while Luffy remained outside. They were both hidden when a loud voice cut through the air.

"Alright everyone, get ready to put on a show! And don't forget, BE FLASHY!"

_Who the hell was that and what is he on? _Luffy raised an eyebrow at the annoying voice. He moved so that he would be able to see the "flashy_" _guy. As soon as he saw the owner of the voice, he almost blew his cover and burst out laughing.

The man was in the center of the tent, standing in front of a group of performers. The man had a giant red nose and was dressed in wacky clothing. _He has spent way too much time watching Rudolph, _Luffy thought sarcastically. He scanned the tent, but was unable to find the thief. _She_ _must be a performer who wanted more cash. _Seeing as he couldn't find her, Luffy decided to just enjoy the show, and forget about the orange haired thief.

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_After many hours of watching people make fools of themselves..._

Luffy had just been watching some guy "tame" a lion from off to the side, when he saw the thief again. This time she was running clutching a box tightly in her arms when she ran into him. Literally. Luffy was taken by surprise and fell to the ground beside the girl. For a second, he laid there, stunned. When he finally got his bearings, he got up and offered a hand to the girl, who still lay on the ground. The girl got her bearings and took his hand. She looked behind him, and then smiled evilly.

"Thanks boss, I got the money just like you told me to," she said sweetly and then once again, ran.

_I told her to do what now? _Luffy thought as he felt something be held against his back. That something was a feeling he knew all too well. Without a doubt, he knew he had a gun held to him .

"Look here boy, we'd really appreciate if you came along with us and not cause a scene. We just want our money back." A voice from behind him whispered in his ear.

What was happening became clear to Luffy. _The girl must have stolen their money box and she set me up to take the fall. Smart girl. _Luffy complemented in his mind, but at the same time cursed her for his situation. _Maybe Sabo is right, trouble does follow me, but wasn't my fault this time!_

Not wanting a scene, he let the men "escort" him to the tent he had previously followed the tent the thief to. About 20 people were inside the tent and in the front of them was the clown from before. The clown, he realized, must be Buggy. He uneasily noticed that everyone in there had weapons.

"Where is my money and what did you do with it.?" the clown, Buggy screeched, holding a gun at Luffy's head

"Just thought I'd buy some popcorn," Luffy answered sarcastically, completely ignoring the first question. _Oh boy, I'm in the Psycho Circus. This is what happens when I listen to Sabo. _

He watched in amusement as Buggy's face began to turn into the shade of his nose. "You flashy bastard! You give me back my money right now!"

Luffy sighed dramatically. "But what if I don't want to?" Obviously he didn't have the money. Heck, he didn't even have a penny on him, but he couldn't stop himself from angering the clown. This was the most fun he'd had in months.

Now most sane people would never classify a gun being held to their head as "fun." But this was Luffy, who was not entirely sane.

"Arrrrrrrggggggggggg! You make me so angry. And looking at that hat like that bastard Shanks makes me want to kill you even more!"

Now that caught Luffy's attention. "You know Shanks?"

"Yeah that flashy bastard ruined my life! He made me miss a successful shot in my life that would have made me a millionaire!"

Luffy's head began to spin as he processed the new pieces of information. Then it hit him from where he had heard the name Buggy before. "You're the gullible clown that always thought stupidly though that the North Pole was colder!" He clearly remembered when Shanks had told him about his old "buddy" that he always argued with over the stupidest stuff. Including over, whether the North Pole was colder of if the South Pole was.

"The North Pole is colder! Everyone knows that!" Buggy yelled.

"Sorry, didn't mean to offend your home Rudolph." Luffy felt satisfaction as Buggy looked like his head was about to blow off. The clown was opening his mouth, probably to yell at him more, when he was interrupted.

"Hey Boss, we found the girl!" Two men entered the tent dragging the thief with them. She didn't look too happy either. She was thrown forward next to Luffy.

Luffy smirked at the girl. "So we meet again Ms. Thief." His smirk only grew wider as she glared him.

_ Things were about to get interesting. _

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**Hmmm… an orange haired thief. Who could that be? What going to happen? How is Luffy going to get out of this one? **

** Until next time!**


	6. Old Triggers

**Okay readers, your promised chapter.**

** Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece**

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"Shut up and help think of a way to get us out of this mess!" Ms. Thief yelled in a low voice at Luffy, who just smirked at her, amusement dancing in his eyes. The two were side by side on the ground with their hands and ankles tied up.

"You mean the mess that _you _got _me_ into?" he questioned.

The girl was growing angry at the idiot beside her. She needed to get out of here with the money. If she didn't get the money, well, she didn't want to think of the consequences her family would have to pay. "Is this really the time to be pointing fingers?"

"Well, seeing as we could possibly be dead in a few minutes, it's as good as time as any." Luffy couldn't help but annoy her. It had over three years since he had last had the chance to annoy someone and he wasn't going to waste it (Sabo didn't count). Plus, it was way more fun to do it to a stranger who he'd probably never see again. He had no intention of dying today, especially by this idiot clown.

Unfortunately, Buggy decided it was time to end Luffy's fun and interrupted them. "Excellent! We have our money and the culprits! This shall be a flashy night!" Everyone in the tent, excluding the culprits, laughed loudly. "Now it's time to _treat _our guests!" With that, he pointed his gun at the girl thief. "Ladies first."

Ms. Thief looked like she was about to pass out as the gun was trained on the tent, it was so loud that a gunshot would be in audible.

He really did not wish to see another person die In front of his eyes. Death didn't bother him, but he felt himself start to shake. Too many images flashed through his mind.

_There was a gun…..gunshots….. and so much blood. His hands and clothes were drenched in it. Blank, open blue eyes stared at him….clearly dead._

The click of turning the gun safety off snapped Luffy from staying trapped in his mind. He saw Buggy's finger slowly inch towards the trigger when a metallic sound echoed through the tent.

"I really wouldn't do that if I were you," a gruff voice said as a sword was held against Buggy's throat. Luffy's eyes widened as he took in the familiar man figure.

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_A few minutes earlier…._

A man was wandering through the alleys when he somehow ended up in the circus. How was he one minute walking through a bunch of dirty alleys then the next going through a colorful circus? This was a feat that only Roronora Zoro could ever achieve. It's not like he got _lost _at all.

Zoro was quite a sight to see at the circus with his waistband and swords on his waist. He really did look like a demon as he stalked through the circus trying to find an exit. Luckily, everyone just thought he was a performer and ignored the man that had deadly weapons with him. Nobody said this town was the brightest.

Besides, it was not the best idea to mess with him right now. For the past week, he had been looking for the kid that had helped him in the alley. He didn't like the idea of being in the debt of someone, so he wanted to find the kid and repay his debt as quickly as possible. As the week passed, he was quickly growing frustrated as he found no leads to finding the kid.

He was just walking around aimlessly when he came across a big tent. He was passing it when he saw a familiar flash of yellow from inside. He walked closer to see a bunch of performers, a stupid looking clown, and two tied up figures on the ground. His eyes focused on the tied up man and widened as they saw the top of his head. Seeing as the alley had been dark, he had not been able to get a clear view of his rescuer's face. But he distinctly remembered the straw hat he had been wearing.

After realizing that he had finally found the kid and could repay his debt, he took in the entire scene to see that a gun was being pointed at a girl next to the kid. Zoro smiled. This was the perfect opportunity to repay his debt. All he to do is help the kid out of this situation and then he could be on his way.

_But after being on the streets so long, you think he would have realized that things were never that easy._

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**Okay, I know, short chapter. Sorry about that. The next chapter will be more action packed. I promise.**

** Until next time!**


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